


Slow

by BehindTheRobinsMask



Series: Knowing you, loving you [6]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Cliffhangers, Confusion, Difficult Decisions, Friendship, M/M, Relationship Advice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:48:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26484430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BehindTheRobinsMask/pseuds/BehindTheRobinsMask
Summary: Artemis comes to Gotham and gives Dick some much needed advice.
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd
Series: Knowing you, loving you [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1908331
Comments: 10
Kudos: 98





	Slow

**Author's Note:**

> Song: Slow by Shy Martin

_ Jason couldn’t really understand why but he was running, out of the car that had picked him up from Selina’s place, through the vast gardens of the manor, through the front door and up the stairs. With every step that he took, his heart raced in his chest, every beat resonating through his body, echoing in his head, muting out his thoughts. The only thing that he knew, the only thing that he understood was that he had to see Dick.   
  
_

_ A week ago, the two of them had been flying through Gotham, their duties, their worries, everything forgotten as they played the usual game of rooftop tag. Dick’s voice, the sound of his laugh, it echoed through the city. It echoed through Jason and he loved every moment of it. If he could, he’d spend every moment of his life listening to Dick speak, staring at his face and taking in his warmth. He had never felt this way about anyone. He had never wanted anyone so much. Then again, Dick Grayson wasn’t a normal person. From the day the two of them had met, Jason had known that he was special.   
  
_

_ One moment, Jason was tackling Dick down to the ground, both of them laughing freely. The next moment, heating was pouring into his veins, blinding him, bringing him down to his knees until he was wrapped around Dick like a helpless pup in need of comfort. Everything hurt. Everything burned.   
  
_

_ Jason’s first rut had hit that night, taking him everyone by surprise. And his rut had triggered Dick’s heat. Before the two of them did something they would regret, Bruce had pulled them apart, keeping Dick safe in the manor while Selina looked after Jason. And while she had done everything she could to make sure that his rut would pass by smoothly, sharing with him her own experiences, it wasn’t enough. Jason wanted to be home. He wanted to be with Dick.   
  
_

_ Now, as he ran up the stairs, his longing, his desperation, it all turned into this strange new confidence that he had never felt before. For some reason, he was sure that Dick wanted to see him just as badly.   
  
_

_ Time seemed to stop the moment Jason burst into Dick’s room, his breath catching in his throat as he stared at the omega standing by the window, sunlight forming a halo around his head. Maybe he was seeing things. Maybe they had been apart for far too long but Dick looked even more beautiful than before, his eyes pulling Jason in, blue waters rushing over his body until he was engulfed completely. And he went down without a fight.   
  
_

_ There was so much Jason wanted to say as he crossed the distance between the two of them, feelings and thoughts to express. But standing in front of Dick, all he could do was reach out and let his fingers brush against the omega’s cheek, watch the way his eyes fluttered shut and his lips parted in a small gasp. Jason leaned in and nuzzled his cheek before scenting him, the single action making Dick purr with happiness.   
  
_

_ “Hey,” he finally whispered and Dick smiled.   
  
_

_ And then they were kissing as if they had done it a million times, something as natural as breathing. Their lips brushed together. Their fingers intertwined. Jason was sure that nothing could ever compare to this. He was sure that no one could ever compare to Dick.   
  
_

Shifting in his sleep, Jason’s eyes opened, the dream that he was seeing, the memory he was revisiting coming to an end. He didn’t know why he was remembering the first time he realized Dick was his fated mate, the first time everything made some kind of sense. But he didn’t mind remembering. He didn’t mind reminiscing about one of the happiest moments of his life. Yesterday was one of those as he stayed up through the night, holding onto Dick, sharing stories, sharing kisses like those years they spent apart had never happened, like they had always been together just the way they were supposed to be. There were no goodbyes weighing them down, no fear that tomorrow would only bring them pain.   
  


Now as he lay awake, Jason looked down at Dick who still fast asleep, body curled around his. His brows furrowed, lips parting to mutter incoherently before he turned in his sleep, and Jason tried his best not to laugh. He knew it was time to get up. There was still a lot of work left to be done, issues that had to be dealt with but that could wait. Pulling Dick deeper into his arms, he went back to sleep.

*******

  
Dick had no idea what he was doing.  
  


When Dick woke up in the morning, he expected to find himself in his safe house, tucked away in his nest. He expected to wake up exhausted because it had been years since he actually slept peacefully, no nightmares, no maniacal laughter seeping into his reality. But instead, when his eyes opened, he felt well-rested, no taunting voice blaring into his ears like an unwanted alarm. Nor did he reach for the gun he always had tucked away under his bed, frantically looking about the room for any threats. When his eyes opened, he found himself lying to Jason, his heart panicking for a second before calming down. After all, this was not a drunken mistake or a heat that went out of control. Dick had seen Jason fall asleep. He had brushed his fingers through his hair. He had gently traced the outline of his lips. Then, making room for himself in Jason’s arms, he had closed his eyes.   
  


Instead of running away and putting a safe distance between them, Dick had chosen to stay. And he wasn’t sure whether that was the right call or not.   
  


Dick loved to surprise people, constantly doing things that no one would expect from him. He kept them on their toes, he kept them guessing when the next trigger would be pulled. But to do so, he needed to make thorough plans by predicting the kind of reaction his actions and words would elicit. Everything he did, each move, each smile, each breath, they were all practised moves. He never left anything to chance because that would mean leaving room for failure and he simply could not allow that to happen. The one thing that Dick hated, on the other hand, was being surprised himself. There weren’t many people who could do it but of course, Jason was an exception as always. In the past few days, he had gone against every prediction, his words enough to throw Dick off his game.   
  


The first time Dick told Jason about his operation, he expected complete rejection, anger unlike anything he had ever seen before. Instead, he received acceptance, a gentle smile and assurance that everything would be alright. His decision had changed nothing and Jason loved him still. After that, with every encounter, the alpha kept surprising Dick, giving him things he never expected, chances that changed everything and he didn’t know how to deal with that. Jason made him so very weak and Dick knew he had to keep his distance. He knew he had to leave. But he couldn’t because even if he did, he’d always come back as long as there was a chance for him to be loved.   
  


Now, once again finding himself next to Jason’s favourite gargoyle, Dick just stared at Gotham city, the stars and the light that flickered in his vision providing him some kind of comfort. They reminded him of days when he had nowhere to go, no one to turn to. They reminded him of days when he was ready to take on the world all on his own. And even though he was so determined to keep things that way, never let a single soul in, despite his many attempts to never be like Bruce, he had ended up with people he couldn’t live without. Even though Dick believed he was alone, he never truly was. After all, even back when he started to chase his dreams, he had Damian. Then Artemis. Now Jason and Roy. Distance didn’t make strong relationships disappear even if he wanted to pretend it did.   
  


But despite the dilemma he was in, despite the thoughts that started a storm in his head, Dick was no fool. He had been trained by the best of the best and he knew that there was someone here with him. His hand slowly reached for his gun as the person moved towards him. Though he never got around to shooting.  
  


“For someone who has everything he ever wanted, you do not look so happy, Grayson,” a familiar voice said.   
  


_ No fucking way.  
  
_

Feeling like he was dreaming, Dick slowly turned around, his eyes widening when they landed on Artemis. A part of him felt like he was imagining things, his mind throwing illusions to distract him from his current problems. Or maybe a villain had gotten to him and was using Artemis’s guise as a way to trap him.    
  
  
“I am very much real. If that is what you are wondering,” Artemis said, stepping up beside him, her eyes taking in Gotham. “So, this is the city you could never stop talking about. I have to say, Grayson, I do not see the appeal.”  
  


Dick opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Then, he reached out to touch her shoulder just to make sure she was real.   
  


“What are you doing here?” he asked when the initial shock started to wear off.  
  


“I was passing through the city when I heard about the new Batman.” Artemis smiled. “I had to see you.” She then reached out and touched his face. “But you do not seem happy. You seem… conflicted.”  
  


“I’m fine, Art,” Dick said, trying to be as casual and normal as he possibly could. The last thing he needed was for her to dig deep.  
  


But he knew that fooling Artemis was nearly impossible. She had always been able to see right through him and constantly called him out on his bullshit. The only way to deal with her was to be honest. Though that didn’t mean that Dick didn’t try to lie.  
  


Tilting her head, arms crossed, Artemis stared at Dick and he had to say he felt uncomfortable under her gaze.   
  


“This is about that mate of yours, isn’t it?” she asked, hitting the mark instantly.   
  


Sighing, Dick felt his body deflate, his previous bravado gone because he knew there was no point in pretending.   
  


“Yes. But it’s nothing I can’t deal with,” he assured but his words just made her smirk.  
  


“Deal with? You have never dealt with the issues regarding your mate, Grayson. All you’ve ever done is run away with your tail between your legs.” She then sat down and patted the ground beside her. “Come, tell me about these issues of yours. What has happened since we last met?”  
  


Usually, when someone talked to him this way, Dick would be quick to snap back, using information that would hit the hardest. Usually, he wouldn’t let such words even bother him and if they did, he’d pretend they didn’t. But with Artemis, he felt like he could be comfortable enough to share his problems. He felt like he had someone to lean on because, in a way, the two of them were similar.

  
As the wind wove throw his hair, Dick slowly told Artemis everything that had happened since he arrived at Gotham. He shared with her his fears, his doubts, the way Jason made his heart overflow with love, the way all he wanted was to stay and run at the same time. His mind was at war with itself and he didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t pick the safest path for him to move onto. Jason was loving. Jason was accepting. But he was also someone who had needs, someone who had his own dreams. And even if he said that Dick was all he ever wanted, someday he would bound to want more, things that Dick could never give him. As long as he stayed with Dick, he could never have a normal life.   
  


“I just want him to be happy, Art. I don’t want him to pick between his dreams and me,” Dick admitted, lacing his fingers together to keep himself distracted so he wouldn’t start crying.  
  


“I think you’re mistaken here, Richard,” Artemis said, turning to look at Dick. “It’s not about him having to pick between his dreams and you. It’s about him picking you. All these years, you have worked on the assumption that your mate wouldn’t ever want you for who you are. You dance around him because you know very well that he can make you happy and that scares you.”  
  


“Wow, way to paint me as an emo kid.” Dick rolled his eyes.  
  


“You don’t want him to change you because you’ve finally found who you are and you don’t want to lose that,” Artemis continued, ignoring his words. “But change is important. It is necessary because if there isn’t change, there is stagnation. You’ll simply begin to rot from the inside and then, everything you’ve done till now will be for nothing.”  
  


Chewing on his lower lip, Dick stared at his hands, squeezing them together, occasionally flexing them, anything to distract himself. Anything to pretend that Artemis’s words didn’t bother him. He didn’t want to change. He didn’t want to be anything but who he was now. Then again, change is what brought him to this very point.   
  


“Do you sometimes wish you were… normal? Wouldn’t that just make things so much easier?” he asked, tired of doubting himself. Tired of being by himself.   
  


“Maybe at some point. But then I realized that I am normal,” Artemis said, a small smile playing on her lips. “Just because I don’t fit into the role of a traditional omega, it doesn’t mean that I’m strange or broken. Even if people told me I was. I was even told that one day I would find the one who could make me ‘a real omega’.” At this point, she started laughing while shaking her head. “I did find Akila and I adore her like no other. She has always been my greatest love. But I am still the way I always have been and do you know why, pup? Because I am normal. Why was wish to be something I already am?”  
  


“I hope you know I hate you when you start making sense,” Dick said with a sigh. “Just go back to swinging that axe of yours. That is so much more entertaining than the life lessons that force me to think.”   
  


“Face it, Grayson. You have only come this far because of my ‘annoying’ lessons. Otherwise, you’d have passed onto hell long ago.” Artemis snorted.  
  


“Um, just so you know, I’m too pretty to go to hell. People like me go to heaven by default.”  
  


“I don’t know about that one. You are… fine I would say.”  
  


“You take that back!”  
  


Reaching out, Artemis ruffled Dick’s hair, something she did a lot during the times they travelled together. They fought. They teased one another. But at the end of it all, they were still friends and Dick was grateful for that. He was grateful for her. Sometimes, he wondered if he should tell her. He never did though. Not that he had to because she knew.   
  


“How do you do it, Art? How do you stay so calm? Haven’t we always been in the same boat?” Dick asked.   
  


“In some ways, maybe. I left home because it no longer felt like home,” Artemis replied, turning to face the sky.   
  


Dick didn’t really know the details of her past, the story behind her departure from Bana-Mighdall. All he knew was that she was looking for her mate, Akila.  
  


“While I am running towards love, you have always run away from it,” Artemis pointed out. “That, Richard, is the difference between us.”  
  


“I--” Dick started to speak but there were no words for him to say. Artemis was right. That was all he had ever done. But he didn’t know how to change either.   
  


“You are not a coward. You are a planner. You’ve always been shrewd, predicting things before they can happen. Why not do the same now? Instead of expecting your mate to constantly reject you, expect him to see things from your side. Expect acceptance. That way, you’ll find reasons to stay,” Artemis suggested, her words making something click in Dick’s mind.   
  


Suddenly, he was on his feet and scribbling down an address onto the small piece of paper.  
  


“This is my safe house,” he told Artemis as he held it out for her. “Feel free to use it as you wish. There’s a lot of food in there. Just stay for a while okay? There’s something I have to do.”  
  


Artemis only nodded and that was enough indication for Dick to know he could find her soon. That they could talk again.  
  


With that, he was running once again but this time, he was running towards Jason.

*******

Used to challenges, used to disappointment, Dick was trained to look for difficult answers, sometimes forgetting that they could be so damn obvious. Artemis was right. He was a planner, just when that always expected the worst from every situation. Especially emotional ones. This way, his heart would stay safe. This way, he wouldn’t have to get used to being with Jason only for him to leave someday. Not that he would. But then, Dick had never had the best experience with people staying. His parents. Bruce. He was used to being left behind.   
  


Jason was different, though. No matter how much Dick pushed, no matter how much wrong he did, Jason always came back. He always stayed. And there was no doubt that the future would be difficult. They would fight. They would exchange words. And maybe, even despise each other for a little while. But if it was Jason, they could sort things out. If it was Jason, they’d find a way through every fall. Hadn’t they done so all this while?  
  


Excited but scared, Dick drove into the cave after practically driving through the streets like a maniac. It was a surprise that no one had told him that he was a danger for the citizens of Gotham. The comms had been eerily silent through the night, but Dick couldn’t think about that right now. Not when he had plans. So many plans. For him. For Jason.   
  


Practically stumbling out of the batmobile, Dick looked around the cave, but he didn’t see Jason in front of the computer, the place where he usually was. Maybe he had turned in early for the night? Taking off the cowl, instead of changing out of his uniform the way he was explicitly told to do by Alfred, Dick bounded up the stairs, already preparing his big speech, borrowing words from Artemis and adding his own. It was such a strange thing for him to do because it was usually Jason who always talked about hope and love. This new change was bound to take him by surprise.   
  


And after everything that had happened, how was Dick supposed to know that life had one more surprise in store for him? A surprise that shattered his hopes before they had a chance to grow?  
  


Stepping into the manor, through the library, he went as fast as his feet could carry him. He wanted to talk to Jason before this newfound resolve weakened. But as he walked into the living room where everyone was assembled for some reason, his feet came to a sudden halt.  
  


“Dick, you’re here,” Jason whispered, finally noticing him but Dick couldn’t really hear him. He couldn’t really think.   
  


All he could see was the man sitting on the couch before him.    
  


Bruce. 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry for the ooc Artemis. I know. I know. I'm bad xD 
> 
> One more part to go before this story finishes.


End file.
